Foward Thinker
by key of darkness
Summary: start off with Justin trying to heal from old wounds, ends with a quest that risks lives. Will old friends unite to bring peace to a shattered dream?
1. Healing the Hurt

Key of Darkness/whispering/ hi all…I have got to be quiet tonight, I'm not supposed to have dads laptop upstairs and most definitely not at night. but I've got to fill in time before I sneak downstairs to watch my fave program.

Justin: sneaking around now are we? I thought you were a good little girl.

Key of Darkness: You can't talk, and keep your voice down, I think mums still up.

Adam/holding head/ just shut up both of you, I have a head ache.

Key of Darkness: might as well get straight into the story.

Justin: disclaimers?

Adam: Warnings?

Key of Darkness: Disclaimer is the usual, I don't own anyone… and as for the WARNING, there will probably be SLASH in this one guys and girls…

PR 

Justin stood in the park, waiting, watching, listening. Something was going to happen today, and he was going to be ready. Nothing was going to take him by surprise anymore. To many times had he lost because he wasn't ready. Too many times.

Barely a hundred meters away, another figure was doing the same. To the observer, he was just standing minding his own business, casually leaning against a lamppost.

Tommy Oliver turned his head slightly and his gaze landed on his younger friend. He kept one eye trained on him, the other taking in his surroundings. Something was wrong; he could just feel it,

Justin had long ago noticed Tommy leaning against the post, but he had not moved, feeling betrayed by his 'friends' lack of contact.

Tommy silently debated whether he should go over to him. He looked lost and lonely standing in the large park.

Justin turned and walked away and Tommy acted. He sprinted over to him and Justin only walked faster, having heard the sound of foot falls behind him.

"Justin! Stop!"

To Tommy's surprise, he did. He stopped wrapping his arms around him, waiting for him to catch up to him.

"What do you want?"

It was more of a statement than a question.

"To talk."

"You never wanted to talk to me before. You just left."

You just left… 

Tommy's shoulders sagged. He had known that this was coming. In Justin's mind, he had abandoned him, leaving him and taking off into a new life, one without him. And he had. He had made no contact with his younger friend and obviously that lack of contact had cut him deep, very deep.

"Look, I'll buy you a soda and we'll sit and talk."

Justin spun round to face him, fire in his eyes

_You just left…_

"You Honestly think that a soda and a talk can fix anything don't you? Well let me show you cold hard truth of reality Tommy, it takes a lot more than that to heal a broken friendship."

_You just left…_

They stood staring at each other, ones eyes full of sorrow and the others full of pain and unshed tears.

"I'm a fool Justin, we both know it and one of it deigns it, but I am a fool. It is my fault that your upset, and you have every right to be, but just, please listen. You are the most amazing kid in the world, and I don't want to loose you forever."

Justin looked down at his feet, trying to stop himself from yelling, crying and running away from his old friend in front of him. Tears ran down his face anyway and he couldn't hide them as the fell onto the ground before him.

Tommy carefully reached out a hand and placed it gently on the young boys shoulder.

_You just left…_

Justin didn't pull away, he was just too upset to do anything.

Tommy wrapped his arms around him and Justin accepted without protest.

_You just left…_

"Why did you leave me Tommy? You just seemed to disappear."

Tommy pulled back and let Justin stand. "You had new friends. They were closer to your own age. You seemed to get on with them okay, so I took a few steps back to let you have a little space and time to be yourself. We all did. Plus and we had just left high school, we were teen's trying to get jobs and put out mark on the industry. Or all least I was. I was travelling and my mind was on other things."

"Racing."

"Racing." Tommy nodded.

"It wasn't just you who left."

_You just left…_

"Adam and Rocky left too. And the girls. Well, not Kat, I still see her every now and then, but only when she needs to use me as a test subject.

Tommy raised an eyebrow.

"Have you not noticed the hair?"

"I noticed it, but didn't comment."

"is it that bad?" Justin asked, referring to the blond and chestnut streaks that Kat had put in his hair. She was doing a Hair Dressing apprenticeship and she had asked Justin if she could practice on his hair. There had been quite a lot of disasters during the first few months.

"No, not at all. It looks great. I just thought it wasn't a great moment to say, hey, great hair! By the way, long time no see! How long has it been? Three years? I just didn't see it going down to well."

"has it really been three years?"

Tommy nodded guilty. "I'd been trying to find you for about six months now. But I kept hitting dead ends. You moved.

"So did you."

Tommy looked deep into Justin's pure sky blue eyes.

"Will you forgive me Justin?"

_You just left…_

_You just left me…_

_You left me…_

_**Will you forgive me Justin…**_

"I already have you boof head. Do you think I'd be standing here listening to you pour your soul out if I hadn't?"

"I guess not." He answered slightly sheepish. "I feal every bit the fool I am."

"Your not a fool Tommy, you can just be a bit thick sometimes, but you always see it in time."

"Thanks. But really, I've screwed up big time… and I've hurt you in the process. I've had to live with that for three years. As soon as we lost contact, I knew that I'd stuffed it… I'm sorry."

_I've screwed up big time…_

"Hey, we're here now, and I have no idea why, but this probably will seal out fate. You're not going to be able to get rid of me now!"

"Damn! Just when I was free."

_You're not a fool…_

_I've hurt you…I'm a fool…_

_You're not a fool…_

"You know, I knew that something was going to happen today."

"Same here. I just felt as if there was something going on that I wasn't aware of, but I was part of it."

"And I've found that the friend I lost never really was. I wish the others were the same as you. But their all gone, off in a happy life I hope…"

"I'm sure they never really meant to desert you Justin. Rocky asked me the other day if I knew where you were, and Adam was talking about you just last week when I last spoke to him. He wanted to know how you were, but none of us could find you.

_None of us could find you…_

"I guess it didn't help that I moved. But you still hurt me, all of you guys. Them more than you i guess... Some part of me knows that you guys had to move on, hell you just left school, but another part of me says that you guys were completely unfair and diserted me with no warning. I guess that i know that you guys are really busy and that you don't have any time thing thing of the littlest things like keeping intouch with old friends. I thought Rocky at least was above that. It stings..."

_None of us could find you…_

"That shouldn't have stopped us. We all should have kept trying, but we didn't. None of this was your fault… it was all ours. Don't be angry with them…Esspecially not Rocky."

_None of us could find you…don't be angry with us…_

_Forgive me Justin…_

Key of Darkness: That's the end of chapter. I'm still awake and I feel so proud. AAAARRRRGGG! My program started ten minutes ago!

Justin: I thought you wanted to be quiet.


	2. Confornting the past

Warnings and disclaimers are on page one…

Key of Darkness: Evening all…

Justin: you sound really tiered.

Key of Darkness: I've been working all day, so yeah, I am…

Justin: …

Key of Darkness: Goodnight all…/head hits the desk with a resounding thud/

**FT**

Justin sat on the edge of his bed flicking through an old photo album. He sighed. All the pictures had been taken during better times. He was at rock bottom right now and he just couldn't find the strength to pull himself back up again.

It was almost a month since his talk with Tommy, and that was the last contact he had had with any of his former friends. Tommy had promised to call him, but as of yet, he was still waiting for that damn phone to ring.

Suddenly, he lost his temper. He hurled the photo album at the wall and it connected with a loud bang. He picked up at the books sitting on his desk and threw them around the room, not caring about the mess he'd made. Papers few everywhere and he sank to the floor, tears flowing freely down his cheeks.

It just wasn't fair! Tommy had promised that he wouldn't lose contact again! He promised! But he should have known by now that no one ever kept true to their word. They all lied to him and walked away from him, only speaking to him when they felt like it…

IT WASN"T FAIR!

Rage took over again and he pounded his fists against the floor, not wanting to do any more damage to his room… although he was probably going to punch a hole through the floor at this rate…

/_calm down young one/_

"Why should I!" Justin had long grown used to the voices in his head, trying to tell him what he should do. Most people would be freaked by it, but he just didn't care about them. All they did was chat amongst themselves about things that he didn't want to hear about. Stuff them….

/_you should seriously consider it, you're already doing yourself an injury/_

Justin paused.

/_look at your hands/_

Justin looked at them and sure enough, blood flowed from places that had been rubbed raw. It was then that the pain kicked in. His hand throbbed and he winced.

"Thanks, who ever you are."

/_wouldn't you like to know…/_

"Yeah, I kinda would actually, since you've decided to take up residence in my brain."

_we've taken up residence in your brain! Ha ha! That's a good one/_

_/you've been taping in to our conversations/_

"Well I can assure both of you that it is none intentional."

/_I'd take care of those hands sooner rather than later young one/_

"Yeah yeah, whatever."

/_and show some respect towards your elders. /_

Justin shook his head and staggered to his feet. He walked into the bathroom and gently washed most of the blood off his hands. It stang as the water hit the open wounds, but he didn't really care. Why should he? They would heal in time…

/_now, as for the whole thing of us taking up residence in your brain, you may be aware that you have incredible mind powers/_

"Yeah, big whoop."

_/ It should be. /_

_/ Your powers have been taping into the Morphing Grid. You say this is unintentional/ _

"Yes."

_/you better just give it to him. He'll get it one way or another. /_

_/have patience. I will get to it. Sit down child. /_

"I'm fine standing thank you."

_/no need to get snarky. What we are about to tell you, show you and give you many not be told, shown or given to any other person, understand/_

Justin nodded.

_/When you were young, you were chosen by the Morphing Grid to lead a group of rangers that as of yet, have not come into being. However, that was complicated slightly by the fact that you received the blue Turbo powers when you were eleven. /_

"I knew I wasn't meant to carry those powers. They were Rocky's."

_/They weren't Rocky's. He was meant to hand them on anyway, you just happened to be there. The Powers that you were supposed to get were thrown into complete turmoil as they had expected someone that was completely inexperienced, and had never even seen powers before. However, your being a ranger has just made the powers stronger. They are the water Element Powers, the strongest powers ever made by Zordon. /_

"Zordon's dead."

_/no he isn't. He is merely scattered across space and time. You can rectify this situation. /_

Justin, suddenly interested, started concentrating a little harder on the conversation. "How can I bring him back? If there's a way, I'll do it."

_/ Just give him the damn powers already/_

_/ Patience! Justin, do you swear that you will keep all of this to yourself/_

"I swear."

_/ Do you swear that you will only use your powers for good, not evil."_

"I swear."

_/ Do you swear to use your powers to protect the innocent always/_

"I swear."

_/Do you understand that when there is a choice between two paths, two roads to take, that you must always choose the path of the right, of justice, of light, of acceptance and of understanding/_

"I understand."

_/ Are you sure you want to take up these powers and become a ranger again/_

Justin was silent for a moment. Was he sure he wanted to fight again? Yes he wanted to protect the innocent, and he always was willing to help people, but did he want to go through the pain and suffering like he had before?

But he needed to give his life a purpose, like he had had before. He didn't want to sink back into the pit of despair that he had just pulled himself out of. He still had the scars to prove that he had been down there…

"I accept these powers and all responsibilities that come with them."

/_ Did we really need to go through all the formalities? He knows what to do and what not to. /_

_/ They are formalities. They have to be done. Hold out your hand. /_

Justin held out his hand, palm up, and almost instantly, it started to glow. His hand felt warm and he could feel something resting on the palm, but he couldn't see it through the bright blue light. He winced and shut his eyes as the light flashed suddenly, then died away and he looked down.

It was an old fashioned silver key.

"But how…"

_/…do you use it? You will know in time. /_

_/ You aren't doing him any favours, are you/_

_/ He must learn on his own. He will kn…/_

The voices faded, and suddenly, he realized that he had control over his mental powers. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked down at his hands. Blood was starting to seep threw the bandages he had quickly put on. The sight of the blood brought back memories and he found his gaze wandering towards the adjoining bathroom. It stopped on the razor sitting on the bench.

He got up and walked over to it, picking it up.

He dropped it in the bin.

Key of Darkness: second chapter down! If you want this chapter to make sense, try reading _A Cutters Blood_ first…

Justin: Also, I'm fifteen and a half in this fic, so Carlos is roughly eighteen or nineteen…


	3. Resetting Friendships

Key of Darkness: Ho ho hum.

Justin: I'm still bored.

Jesse/throws a ball at him/

Justin/Catches it/ Cool, thanks/ start bouncing it against the wall/

Key of Darkness/looks annoyed/

Justin: Hee hee!

Key of Darkness: STOP THAT!

Justin/ freezes/ sorry….

Justin sat on his bed two nights later, contemplating the conversation he had had with the still nameless voices. He had a feeling that he knew one for them from somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember it. He hated that feeling. He hated it with a passion.

_/ seems you have your powers under control. / _

Justin jumped. It was the second voice, the impatient one. He hadn't been expecting it.

/ _skittish…/_

"No thanks to you."

/_ No need to get snarky. I am merely here to help. /_

"Huh."

_/ Take it or leave it. /_

"I don't want people talking to me in my head, reminding me just how insane and useless I am."

/_ Useless? Stupid on occasion maybe, but useless? I don't think so. /_

"I do. So far you're the only one that's come back to me because of their own free will."

_/ Are you so sure about that/_

"My _friends_ don't call. They forget me. Correction, they have forgotten me. Correction again, they forgot me long ago. I just seem to pop up every now and then."

/_ Justin…they haven't forgotten you. They are just merely too tied up and busy to remember you. Once they slow down and rest, you won't be able to get away from them. /_

Justin felt the tears start to roll down his face and he angrily brushed them away.

_/ It's true. Especially of Carlos and Rocky, the two people who matter most to you. Carlos is on a quest up in space and is pining for you, and Rocky is in Canada, still morning the loss of his brother. /_

Justin gasped. He had no idea…

_/ Daniel, car crash. He got told just before he picked up the phone to call you. He went to the funeral, then ran, disappearing out of Angel Grove. I'll give you the address if you want. /_

"I had no idea. Poor Rocky…"

"Poor Rocky what?" a voice came from the door.

_/ Or not… see yah/_

Justin turned round slowly. Standing in the doorway was Rocky. He looked tiered and worn out, like butter spread over to much bread, but it was him.

"Poor Rocky what?"

Justin stood up and debated what to say. Rocky waited, calmly, well as calmly as one could when they where still getting over the loss of a brother.

"I heard about… Daniel."

Rocky sighed and ran a hand wearily through his hair. "Who told you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"If there is a voice in your head too, then we're either not mad, or we're mad together."

"You too?"

"I take that as a yes?"

Justin nodded, yet to take a step towards the person he had once called an almost big brother.

They stood still for awhile and it was then the Justin spotted the necklace that Rocky was wearing. It was a silver key on a chain. So they were in this together were they?

Before he could speak, Rocky took a few steps forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. Justin Relaxed, leaning into the hug and returning it.

Rocky hadn't forgotten him, and what Tommy had said a few week earlier was becoming clearer.

He wasn't angry at him any more, just sorry that he hadn't been there to help his poor friend through the suffering.

Justin and Rocky stayed in each others arms for what seemed to be only a few seconds, but in reality, time had past much quicker. Rocky patted the young boys back and let his go, looking down at him.

"How are you doing?" Justin asked carefully. He didn't want to upset his friend.

"As well as I can. I think I'm over the worst."

/ But there's still tomorrow

Forget the sorrow

And I can't be on the last train home

Watch it pass the day

As it fades away

No more time to care

No more time today …. /

Justin nodded. Rocky sighed.

"About three months after I gave up my powers… I finally stopped being so run off my feet. One thing to remember Justin, College sucks."

Justin smiled and laughed quietly.

"It was really spooky. I went to pick up the phone to call you, and … just as I touched it… it rang. It was the hospital. They said Daniel was in ICU and that we should come right away. So we did. I packed up everyone in the house… and we went. But when we got there… he…he was gone…" tears started to roll down Rocky's face. Justin Reached out and placed his hand on his shoulder.

"The funeral… I just got so upset that I got in the car and just drove."

"And you ended up in Canada."

"Yeah. I though I was..."

"… Going crazy."

"Yeah, the voices. They can in spits and spatters, but it was really weird."

_/ Grrrr…/_

"But out!" Justin snapped. "Thanks for the help but ping off for a while!"

/_ I'm going, I'm going/_

Key of Darkness/ flexes hand with newly strapped fingers carefully/ Bummer.

Justin: what have you done now?

Key of Darkness: Jarred my finger.

Justin: Well that was a stupid thing to do.

Jesse: Give me a look.

Key of Darkness/ holds out hand for inspection/

Jesse: yep, that jarred. Ice it.

Key of Darkness: Melted.

Justin: while they argue over her finger, I just let you know that chapters for all stories are going to be few and far between for the next month at least. She's in the school musical and everything is all over the place at the moment, so please bear with us for a while. See Yah!


	4. Telling the truth

Key of Darkness: Hello all. /rubs her eyes/

Justin: tired again?

Key of Darkness: nobody kiss me, I've got Glandula Fever.

Adam: great. /sarcasm/

Justin: when did you get here you bludger?

Adam: just now. I'm part time due to college.

Key of Darkness: oh by the way, homophobes, you exit is thata way.

FT

Justin flopped down on the bed and sighed. It had been a good day. He'd sorted things out with Rocky, swapped phone numbers and had gotten orders to hit him over the head if he didn't call at least once a week.

He felt good.

The phone rang. Justin laughed. If Rocky was calling him all ready, he must be very upset about abandoning him.

He picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Justin, man, I am so sorry." It was Tommy. Justins smile faded.

"Hey." His voice was emotionless and hollow.

"I am so sorry."

"Over a month Tommy."

"I know, I know it's been a long time, but I've… There are things happening…"

"Unless it's a voice inside your head, I don't care and I don't want to know." He slammed down the phone as tears started for form in the corners of his eyes.

The phone rang again.

Justin stared at it, wondering if he should pick it up. He let it ring. The answering machine kicked in.

"Justin, its Tommy. Pick up the phone. What you said, it's true…" Justin's heart nearly stopped.

He grabbed the phone switched of the answering machine. "You've got my attention. I'm listening."

He heard a sigh of relief. "Three weeks ago, I started hearing voices in my head. I thought I was going mad. So I went to a phycologist and I've spent the last two and half weeks in a mental intuition. They can't figure out what's wrong with me."

Tommy sounded frightened and Justin's heart melted. "Are you still there now?"

"Yeah."

"Look, there's nothing wrong with you. Its new powers, I think. For now ignore the voices. Say that they have stopped. It's important that you get out of there ASAP."

"What are these voices?" Tommy was on the edge of tears and Justin could hear it in his voice.

"I think they're Grid Masters. They said something about the Morphing Grid. Just stay calm. Where are you?"

"Stone Canyon."

"Do you know what time visiting hours are?"

"Ten in the morning till twelve."

"Rocky and I will be over there tomorrow alright? Just hang tight."

"I'm hanging. Believe me, I'm hanging. I gotta go. I'm only allowed on for a few minutes."

"I'll be there."

"I'll be waiting…" The phone clicked off.

Justin punched in Rocky's number. Someone picked up after a few rings. "Heeellllooo?" It sounded like Rocky's younger sister, Angel. She went to school with him. They were in a gifted school.

"Hey Angel. It's Justin. Is Rocky there?"

"No he's down at the youth centre. You want me to take a message?"

"No, I'll head down there now. Thanks."

"See yah at school then."

"Yeah, see yah." He hung up the phone and grabbed a note pad and a pencil. He wrote a quick message to his dad, signed it and looked up at the clock to check the time. Five thirty. His dad was going to kill him for going out so late, but it would be worth it. He had to see Rocky.

He raced out the door, locking it behind him and grabbed his bike. I would take him ten minutes to ride there and it was already starting to get dark as it was mid-winter. He took off at top speed.

Finally he was there. His lungs were burning, and his legs ached and he was left gasping for breath, but he was there. He parked his bike and raced inside, still breathing heavily.

He glanced around, trying to catch his breath. Then, he spotted him. Rocky was sitting over in one corner and across the table from him was… Adam. Justin started to go forward, but stopped. He looked at Rocky's face. He smiled at Adam in a way… he couldn't place it… he smiled at him as if… as if he was in love with him.

Justin raised an eyebrow and started thinking. Was this a big deal? No. Should he be upset about it? Hell no. He'd be a bloody hypocrite if he was. Should he have seen this before? Hell Yah!

So he smiled. So what. Only question was, did Adam know? He looked back over to the table where his two friends were sitting again. Adam reached out and gave Rocky a more than friendly pat. Obviously a yes to that too.

Decisions made, he sidled over to the table. Adam and Rocky were so wrapped up in each other they didn't even notice him. Justin Tapped Rocky on the shoulder.

"AARRR!" He spun around, as did everyone else in the centre.

"Hi to you too."

Rocky sighed and tried to regain his scattered wits. People gradually went back to their drinks and Justin grabbed a chair from a neighbouring table.

"Hey Justin." Adam said quietly.

Justin turned his head slightly and fixed his gaze on the Asian man. "I'll talk to later." He turned back to Rocky, ignoring the stunned expression on Adams face.

"Did you have any idea that Tommy's been in a Mental Institution for the last two three weeks?"

"WHAT?" Rocky yelled, Adam started choking on his drink.

"He's been in a nut house for the last…"

"…two weeks?"

Justin nodded. "And keep it down, people are staring again."

Adam finally started breathing properly again and looked at the younger boy with a strange expression. "Why is he in a nut house?"

"Voice in his head. He thought he was going mad. And don't say he is, it's another thing that I've added to my mental list to talk to you about."

"I know what your on about, it's happening to me too. Scared the hell out of me the first time."

"Bloody hell, it's like a virus."

"Spreading through ex-Rangers." Rocky leaned in closer. "Maybe we're all being recalled."

"Could be."

"Could very well be. I called Kat and its happening to her too, and Aisha." Rocky whispered.

"I told Tommy that we would go and visit him tomorrow. You up for that?" The question was aimed at Rocky and all three of them knew it.

"Justin, you know it's rude to ignore people." Rocky said forcefully.

"I know. But he's ignored me since I left the team. I think I'm within my rights to do the same to him, as much as I hate." The last part came out as a whisper.

"If you hate it, why do you do it?" Adam asked gently.

"Because people have no idea what it's like to be left out in the cold for so long, completely abandoned because you've been forgotten."

"Some of us thought that you would forget us once we left…"

"Adam!"

"No Rocky, it's true. Kat and I thought that he'd do better with people his own age. We thought it would be better for him to go back to who he was before."

"You have no idea who I was before. I've always gotten on better with people older than me. They were more capable of carrying out intelligent conversations."

"I didn't realize that until it was too late. Until I spoke to Rocky this afternoon. I'm sorry."

"I'm in a forgiving mood, so you're off the hook. Your intentions were good, just a little off the mark."

"Thinking back, I can't believe I was so stupid to think like that. You were always smarter; you're just that kind of kid."

"Right, we've strayed far enough. Back on topic." Rocky said, smiling again.

"Yes. Tommy, Stone Canyon nut house, see him tomorrow."

"You know the visiting hours?" Rocky asked.

"Ten till twelve in the morning."

"I'll pick you up at eight thirty… hang on, do you have school?"

"Rocky, it's the holidays, why do you think that Angel's at home?"

"I haven't been home yet. I went straight to see you, then came here and bumped into Adam."

"Literally. He knocked me over." Justin grinned. "Haven't you got to get home? It's nearly six thirty."

Justin looked at his watch and groaned. His dad was probably there already and chucking a fit. "Yeah. I probably should, shouldn't I?"

"How did you get here? I'll give you a lift home if you like." Adam offered.

"No, I brought my bike, so I'll ride. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"See yah."

FT

Justin: so what courses are you doing?

Adam: business stuff.

Justin: boring.

Adam: To right.

Key of Darkness: guys, I've got a head ache. Shut Up.


End file.
